


Chasing a Far Flung Dream

by ScienceB



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Andorians, Anxiety, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Kissing, Bisexual Captain, Brainwashing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Gratuitous Smut, Hypnosis, Lesbian Relationship, Lewds, M/F Sex, M/M, Occasional hurt/comfort, Other, Outer Space, Space Opera, To Be Continued, Trills, Who remembers the trills?, angery Bajoran, captain/xo, enby/f sex, episodic, gays in space, mention of kirk, non-binary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-25 00:37:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14367138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScienceB/pseuds/ScienceB
Summary: When Starfleet finds itself in need of a ship to send into the wild unknowns, in a race against Romulans, Klingons, and who knows what else, they recruit disgraced officer Alex Magenta to captain their latest hare-brained scheme. With his trusty but flirtatious XO Luna, stoic/Vulcan medic V'Ness, and an entire shipfull of other equally-single-note crew, he's going to have a hard time following his mission, and not getting dragged into strange, sexy antics every solar system of the way there.





	1. The Saga Begins

"Well, you got the job. You son of a-"

"Thanks Admiral. I appreciate your support." 

The woman smiled teasingly, sticking her heeled feet onto her desk, leaning back in her comfy chair. "You know I've always supported you. Or, at least, ever since that night we first met."

The young man attempted to put his feet up, but she kicked them off, smirking. "My desk, my rules. And, if I were you, I wouldn't get comfortable! Your assignment starts in a couple of hours. You're expected at Shuttleport Ottowa in two hours, and I don't want you to be late. Considering people know I supported you for this, I don't want you making me look bad." She shuffled the e-paper on her desk – her colleagues knew she was old fashioned, but she didn’t care. 

He raised his eyebrows, smiling. "And why are you supporting me again? You know, since you don't like me?"

She laughed a little, her voice a sultry melody in the air. "When did I indicate I didn't like you? I've liked you ever since that night together made me feel like a goddess."

"And I was hoping we could have a repeat of that before I left." He said teasingly, giving her a small kiss on her toes. She pushed him away, sticking her tongue out, but smiling widely. 

"If I had a few hours, and not a meeting in a few minutes, I'd love that. But these-" Suddenly squishing her cleavage together, with the pair threatening to jump out of her inadequate uniform at any moment "-will still be here when you get back."

Still smiling, he got up, preparing to leave. "I'm Captain now. In charge of a whole ship. It might be a few years before I get back."

"Trust me, the wait will make the reward all the sweeter... Captain." The last word rolled out of her mouth like a dress falls of a woman's body, with all the implications present in the latter perfectly encapsulated in the single title. 

Slowly, the younger one stood up, giving his superior a small salute. "I'll see you then." He walked out, but as the door closed, he heard her say a quiet, "Enjoy your command," before it sealed. With a new future ahead of him, looking up for the first time in a while, he walked off into the bright lobby, and then out into the afternoon sun of San Francisco, Earth.

\---

Now seems like a good time to explain what's going on. The man you've just met is an officer in Starfleet, 28 years old. He's got pale skin, dirty blonde hair which he's been told many, many times over he should probably try to sort out, shave off, or do something decent with. He's not too tall- just under 6ft, with green eyes and a smile that could probably use more effort. He's just been for a meeting at Starfleet HQ, where he was expecting to be court-martialled. What he got was a little more unexpected - handed command of his first ship, and all the responsibilities that that entailed. He expected to be stripped of the uniform he was wearing (hopefully by Admiral Valan, who he knew more intimately than at least 50% of cadets) and kicked out on the streets. Instead, he was sending a quick message to his mum and step-mum telling them what had happened, before gathering his few possessions and heading over to San Francisco Central Transport centre. A few seconds later, he and his box were in Ottawa, former Canadian capital and current home of the best chocolate milkshakes, according to the Betazed guide to Earth.

A short walk through the station, nodding at a few people he vaguely knew, and he was waiting at the shuttle station, listening to the news report over the tannoy and deciding whether or not to make a start on his book. He was happily sat there for a few minutes, just about to make a decision, until a bouncy blonde came and sat next to him, figeting in her seat for a good minute before opening a conversation. "Hey! I'm Ensign Valdez! Sonia Valdaz! Who are you? I haven't seen you before! Are you going to work on one of the solar bases? Or maybe you're going to be on a starship like me! I hear there's all sorts of scary things in space, but I'm not nervous for my first posting, not at all! In fact-"

The man smiled, laughing slightly, putting his finger over his own lips. She took this as a sign to stop, but she still smiled, eagerly waiting to finish her half of the chat. "You asked me my name?"

She nodded, eyes crossed, looking at his finger with impunity. "I'm Alex Magenta. Nice to meet you."

She paused, taken slightly aback, before trying to cover her mistake. "Sorry, sir! I didn't realise... You're my new captaim! I apologize if I was a bit disorderly." She looks slightly scared, her brown eyes having a small glint of fear hidden in them.

He shrugged, laying back in his seat. "It's no problem. I like to get to know the people I'm working with. Just one thing-"

"Yes?" She burst in, eagerly.

"... Try to calm down a bit. I can't have you like that when you're flying a spaceship at Warp 9," he said, no malice in his voice, a wry smile on his face. 

She smiled a nervous smile, obviously embarassed to be caught doing it again. "Sorry. Again. I guess you're wondering why they put me on the bridge for my first assignment."  
"A little," he said back, manoevering on his chair to face her. He obviously wanted to make this young girl feel welcome, especially on her first mission. "I guessed the people above me must have their reasons." He hadn’t realised this was her first mission, though. Something felt off about this, but he wasn;t sure what. Still, maybe, for all her faults, Ensign Valdez was a good a pilot as she was a conversationalist!

She smiled at this too, a beaming that takes over her whole face. "I guessed the same thing. I don't know either!" She confessed, giggling slightly. The man couldn't help but start to as well. It was very infectious- medical, he considered, should class it as a dangerous plague.

Suddenly, she stopped, looking panicked. "That was my name! On the announcement thing! I've got to go!" She bounced to her feet (this girl seems to bounce everywhere, he noticed) and ran off in a dash of yellow uniform.

The man gave her a little wave as she went, smiling. "I get the feeling this is going to be an interesting voyage. Still, it would have been nice if Starfleet could have given me a bigger crew list than her and a couple of others. Maybe even a first officer," he muttered to himself, reaching in for his book. Of course, because the universe didn’t want him to know that the journey he's about to start is vaguely similar to the book (an epic charting a journey of heroes across an ocean, through storms and sieges and attacks of all sorts) that was when the tannoy calls his name. Sighing, he got to his feet, walking over to the shuttle with which he's been assigned.

He sat in the small interior, watching the ground leave as they rose up into the atmosphere. It was just him and a cute blonde shuttle pilot, so he struck up a conversation. "How many of these runs have you done today?"

The pilot replied, a hint of weariness in his voice, "Eight. This is the last one though. At least it's only to the spacedock though. I had one the other day, just me and some cargo out to Pluto. Do you know how long that takes with no warp?"

Humouring him, the captain responded, "A couple of minutes?"

"Six hours, each way. It gets pretty boring by yourself."

"Would you rather be with someone else then? Because I wouldn't mind spending six hours in a shuttle with you, no-one else to disturb us." The Captain's voice trailed off, letting the other guy use his imagination as to what he meant.

"Trust me, I'd love to spend six hours with you. If you could last that long," the pilot joked, guiding the ship out of the atmosphere, up into space.

"Oh, I think I could. You'd have to be awfully skilled to make me be any quicker."

"Trust me sir. With me, we'd do all the stuff we're both thinking of, and still have five hours left to recover and do it again."

“You sound very, very certain,” the Captain replied, smiling. “You usually this flirty with people you just meet?”

“You know what? No. Only since me and Jamie broke...” His voice trailed off, obviously not ready to talk about it. “Let’s just say I’m looking for someone else right now.” His voice had lost its cute tone, instead sounding a lot hollower. 

“It’s alright,.” The captain said, his tone softer. “I’m sure you’ll find someone who can stay here with you. There’s always someone.” He offered a smile, which the pilot saw, moving his mouth into a smaller, but similar shape. “And you don’t have to prove yourself to me, or anyone.” The pilot opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a small warning message over the comm.

“Warning- magnetic storm approaching.” The pilot grimaced, spinning back to the main console. “Sorry sir, I’d love for an inspirational pep-talk right now, but I’ve got to get us through this.”

The Captain pushed back into his own seat, bracing as the shuttle began to shake. “I’m no expert, but these aren’t usually that dangerous, are they?”

“No sir,” came the responce from the front. “It’s just a bit of-” CRACK!!!

The console exploded in a flash of sparks, with a yell of pain coming from the injured crewman. The Captain sprang up from his seat, shielding his eyes from the discharging screens. “Ensign!? You alright?” There was no response from the collapsed gold-shirt, and the captain, grimacing, turned towards the control screen, trying to get it to work. Unfortunately, as consoles were want to do when hit with the tiniest surge of electricity, it had completely shut down. And he could tell, both from training and the increasing sense of breathlessness, that life support was slowly going too. 

Raeaching down to the prone body beneath him, he plucked off the comm-badge, presing it to send a signal. A crackly voice came in from the other side- apparantly, the comms were damaged, but not beyond use. “This is Shuttlecraft Cruz, requesting emergency beam-out for two. We’ve got an injured ensign here!” he shouted in the vague direction of the radio, whilst trying to put his basic medical training into practice. There was no tricorder, so he’d have to get hands on. “There’s a pulse, but he needs sickbay. We have... not much...” He was starting to gasp for breath now, unable to talk, and he collapsed to the floor, curling up. 

A few moments later, and they still hadn’t been beamed out. ‘Must be due to the EM storm’ he rationalised in his head, his vision starting to blurr. “They can’t beam us out until it’s clear; hopefully, that’s before we pass out.’ His lungs were screaming in pain, desperate,which only meant, ironically, he was trying to breathe even harder; his body after as much oxygen from the poor atmosphere as it could get.. He was just starting to sink into a stupor when he felt his molecules buzz, and his surroundings start to blurr in a more usual way. Less that a second later, and he could feel himself coming back around to consciousness, his vision fixing to see himself in a standard, if small, sickbay, with a person in a blue medical uniform carrying the ensign to a bio-bed.

Slowly standing up, he put a hand on the wall to steady himself, taking more of the room in. He then realised that, apart from himself, the dark-skinned woman, and the dying engisn she was tending to, there was no-one else there. Considering his usual experience with sickbays, this was odd, to say the least. “Is he alright?” He asked, moving over to check.

“Please sit on one of the beds- you’re likely to be suffering from oxygen deprivation, Captain,” the woman (presumably the Doctor) said, her tone measured and calm. “Ensign O’Malley here is unsonscious, likely from electrical shock, but he will live, and be able to return home before we depart.”

Hearing this, the Captain sighed in relief. “Good. He didn’t expect to be gone for long. He thought he’d be done for the day soon enough.” He laughed a small amout, which drew the womans frowning gaze.

“He is injured, so it is best he stay here. I suppose you are trying to lighten the mood for us both?” She asked, all in the same voice.

“That was the point,” he replied, finally taking a seat on a bio bed, he gaze slightly letting up as he did so. “I assume you’re the Doctor here?”

“Correct assumption. Doctor V’ness, Chief Medical Officer. And you are the Captain of this vessel. I am surprised Starfleet has not informed you of the senior staff.” She didn’t attempt to give him a handshake or anything, which didn’t surprise him. He’d have been better off trying to kiss her.

“Me too. I may have only got the posting earlier today, but you would think they’d give me the bare minimums.” Saying this, he took notice of her ears, hidden behind her black hair. “Is this your first posting away from Vulcan, Doctor?

“I have only been to Vulcan once,” she replied, moving over to his bed. “Lie down while I check your vitals.” He did so, silently, only mostly embarassed at that. “My parents were travellers, without a home, but they raised me in the Vulcan ways.” The woman’s curt tone was, somehow, even more condescending than he was used to from his previous doctors. Nevertheless, she acted as professional as any other he knew, even if her speech seemed more suited to someone who he wasn’t about to serve a long tour of duty with.  
“ In any case, your vitals are normal- you don’t seem to have suffered major damage from either the storm or the lack of oxygen.”

Sitting up, he smiled. “Doctor, I will welcome anyone on this ship, whatever their background, as long as they wish to explore.”

“Assuming that is our mission,” V’Ness said, turning away. “If you did not know me, it is unlikely know the purpose of our voyage.”

“True,” the Captain responded, “But I don’t think Starfleet will want me near anything major. Not after my last posting.” His voice had grown quieter, and his speech had grown distant. V’ness still replied while tending to the shuttle pilot, whose heartbeats through the monitor had taken over as the only sound in the room.

“Starfleet must trust you - otherwise, you would not be here. And, as my Captain, you have my full faith and support.” 

It could have been sarcasm, but he decided to take her at her word. After all, Vulcans didn’t lie, right? Looking up at her, he cracked a small smile. “So there’s that famed Vulcan loyalty.”

In return, she offered a raised eyebrow. “And there is that famed human emotional range. How strange.”

His witty response was interrupted by a groaning noise, and the two looked over to see the shuttlepilot opening his eyes, unfocused. The Captain was the first to say something. “Ensign, you’re alright. You’re in a med-bay, you’re alright.”

The Doctor made it over next, giving a quick glance at his vitals. “You will require an overnight stay,” she cut them both off, “but you may return to Earth tomorrow. Hopefully, engineering will have restored our transporters to full range by then. You were both fortunate that you had reached the edge of our coverage. I’m sure Lieutenant Jyran will be expecting a visit of congratulations soon.”

Waiting for the Doctor to finish her exposition, and thanking whatever force out there that had kept him safe, he nodded at her, and bid her a, “See you at departure briefings,” before giving the unfortunate pilot one last smile and leaving into the corridor. Finding a computer that was working, which took at least three times as many computers as he had expected, he sent a small message to Starfleet command, informing he had arrived onboard, not without trouble. “They can expect a full report later on,” he said to the empty air, not expecting a reply.

He got one. “Isn’t it human superstition that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity?” came a snarky comment from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a young woman in an engneering uniform, sleeves rolled up and holding a tri-corder. Her red hair was held tight in a bun, and her nose was ridged. “I thought the Bajoran tradition for that was that you were consulting a spirit guide?” he asked back, eyebrow raised.

“You’d have a point, if I believed in spirit guides.” 

“And I don’t believe in that sign of insanity either, so I guess we’re even,” he smiled, offering a hand. “You must be my chief engineer, Lieutenant Jyran.” She took it, shaking with a firmer grip that him. 

“Jyran Molla, sir. Pleasure to meet you.” She released his hand, and he he breathed a silent sigh of relief for the fact that he hadn’t ended up with any broken bones. “Sorry for the shuttle journey, but the transporter was mis-aligned. Typical engineering on something like this.”

“Typical engineering doesn’t usually result with one person in sickbay per shuttle trip,” he pointed out, eyebrow raised.

“It wouldn’t have surprised me if it were more,” she countered, smirking. “So, why did you get assigned here? I know what I did wrong, but I’m interested to hear you story.”

“The Captain never reveals his secrets,” he replied, thinking over her statement. “But you had better be good at engineering if you’re going to work here with that attitude.”

Jyran cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I’ll have you know, since you obviously didn’t get the notice, it had nothing to do with my engineering skills! I’m the best damn engineer you’ll ever have had, and I swear that on my-!” Her badge beeped, and she tapped it, sighing in exasperation. “I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned around, before realising something, keeping on spinning until she was back facing the Captain. “Hope we didn’t get off on the wrong foot, sir.” She then resumed her spinning, until she was facing the other way (again), and walked off, audibly muttering about the quality of the warp core she was being forced to work with.

“Well, she seems nice,” he muttered, watching her walk away. She seemed to be a pretty good technician, as well. He was a little off-put by what she had said about her ‘doing something wrong’. Just like him, it seemed. Still, she had saved his ass once today, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, for now. 

Making his way to the bridge, he only passed a few people, who looked to be hurrying about, carrying components and PADDS from section to section. Once he made it to the turbolift, however, he was alone, and he could relax for a few moments. “What have I gotten into here?” he asked himself, sighing. “Something like this, and I’d usually ask for a few more months work, and we’re supposed to leave in a week. And I haven’t even met my first-” With a ‘shuck-shuck’, the turbolift door swang open to reveal the bridge. It looked promising so far - no exploded consoles, no dead crewmen lying around, and no unknown entities trying to take over, which surprised him. He’d have put money on at least one of those things. At this point, he wouldn’t put it past Starfleet to give him some ship they had salvaged from a battleground.

There was a lone occupant, sitting in the captain’s chair, alternating between looking over a PADD that she held in one hand, and an antique paper book she held in the other, who glanced over as soon as the door opened. Her antenae rose in response, and almost instantly the Andorian was stood at attention, saluting. “An honour to meet you, sir.”

He smiled, walking over. “Thanks, but I don’t need the salute. Not before I actually do something deserving of one, anyway. You must be my XO, one of the few I’ve actually been told anything about. Lieutanant Commander Lunarinten Zh’Mesha.”

“I prefer Luna,” she replied, taking his hand from his side pre-emptively and shaking it. “Glad you made it- I heard there were a few troubles with the shuttle?”

“You could say that,” he answered dryly, taking his seat and looking around the bridge. “It’s strange seeing one of these empty. The last one I was on, it was never quiet.”

“Most of the bridge crew are expected to arrive in the next couple of days, sir. Ensign Valdez is due in first- her shuttle arrives in about an hour, after its stop at the Sentinel.”  
“Once she sees this, she’ll probably wish she had stayed there,” he commented, booting up the small screen in his chair. “Sentinel’s a newly built Sovreign class - top of the range - while what we have here, is most certainly not.” Luna took the seat next to him, moving the PADD that had been resting on it. “A Centaur class, thrown together in the Dominion War, that looks like it needs a few months in drydock before setting out again.” Rolling his eyes, he took the PADD Luna was offering, flicking through the documents. “Actually, I take it back. We’d need a few years.”

“Jyran promises she can do it in a week, given the team she has.” Luna spoke out, taking the computer, flicking to the next set of data. It was just as unpromising. “Despite most of the problems being, and I quote, ‘amazingly awful’.”

“Engineers only say that to make themselves look better. From what I saw earlier, she seems no different. Definitely sure of her own skills, though.” he said back, rolling his eyes.  
“I know, but we can let her think we’re impressed,” she said, grinning. “Now, Starfleet left a message in your ready room for when you arrive, and told me it was for your eyes only. At a guess, it probably has what we’re meant to be doing on this mission.”

Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. “You’ve not been told either? I just assumed, like a whole bunch of other stuff, they’d left it out of my briefing.”

“It must be a big secret then,” she replied, coming very close to his face all of a sudden- it was prety intimidating, especially with the antanae bobbing back and forth. “Just tell me if it’s some sort of suicide mission, would you?” The sweetness of her voice for that sentence contrasted with the very violent body language she was giving off- although, he thought, ‘maybe that’s normal for an Andorian’. The last one of those he’d met... well, he’d gained a nice scar from the expriience. “I’d hate to die because Starfleet thinks it’s for the greater good.”

“And you think I would?” he said back, quietly. He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed to fit the tone. 

“I barely know you.” Luna whispered back, getting very, very close to him- almost too close. “But I hope you can handle yourself.”

“I can handle myself perfectly fine,” he was even quieter- it was as if the two were seeing how close to silence each of them could get while staring the other down. “And if it is a suicide mission, I’ll get this crew out alive. Just watch me.” With this, he pulled back, getting out of his seat and walking into his ready room without saying a word more. 

Luna leaned back in her chair, picking up her book from where it had been stashed and flicking back to her page. If anyone had been in the empty bridge, and they had a keen ear, they might have heard this comment, only just audible above the beeping of the consoles. “I hope you can live up to that boast.”

Sitting at his desk, the Captain heard the door lock itself with an actual bolt, a rarity in those days, and a message come up on the small monitor he had. It was an Admiral, whose name he was stuggling to remember (Perret? Pirrot?), with a TOP SECRET logo laid over him. Obviously, this was something they wanted everyone to know about. Damn, he was even being sarcastic in his internal monologue now. 

“Captain, I hope you’re prepared for this mission, because it’s a long one.” The Admiral’s voice came over the speaker, his French accent coming strongly through his words. Or maybe it was London- those two were very similar, especially for someone from more nothern climes, like him. “Several days ago, we recieved a transmission from beyond known space, in what we think is claimed by the Breen. Normally, this would be a job for spectral analysis, to find whatever star emitted it. Except, unless we’ve made a mistake, this signal is very unusual. Extremely high energy. Almost certainly a weapon. That’s all we know.” The Captain’s interest was caught- this sounded like he had been given something good. He was waiting for the downside with baited breath.

“From our measurements, the signal occured around two years travel away, at maximum warp for our fastest craft. Usually, for something this distant, we would send a probe, but even with the Cardassians working with us for once, there are still some rogue elements that would destroy it as soon as they saw it. Not to mention the Breen.” He sighed upon the mention of the species, obviously wishing they weren’t there. The Captain didn’t blame him. The Breen were a mystery, even to the highest echelons of Starfleet. Very little was known about them, and they seemed to like that.

“So, we’re sending you and your team. Your mission will be to head out to the co-ordinatesm and see what is there. We know the Klingons also intercepted the signal, and they’ve sent their own ship. They say it’s back-up, but I wouldn’t be surprised it they just want the honour of finding it first.”

The Captain spoke over the video to himself, wondering, “But what about the Romulans?”

Almost magically, he was answered. “As for the Romulans, it’s highly likely they’ll be moving to find it. If the new Republic finds it, they’ll probably offer it to us in exchange for some assitance. The Star Empire, on the other hand... I think you know what they would do if they got hold of a weapon of that magnitude.  
”  
“See how quickly they burn can any and every ship in a hundred light year radius?” He offered to the recording, which obviously didn’t reply. That would have been a sign of something bad, and probably 45 minutes worth of trouble for his brazen comment.

“Anyway,” the Admiral’s recording said, “you’ve got your co-ordinates, you’ve got your mission, and in a few days you’ll have your crew. As I said, it will be a long haul mission. You’ll be heading into unknown Cardassian and Breen space, and quite possibly be making some first contacts along the way. That far out, communications will be difficult, so you’ll have your perogative to rely on. Federation support won’t last long beyond DS9, so we’re trusting you to survive on your own.”

“What you mean is, I’m expendable.” He commented back. “Given Jyran’s comment, we’re all probably expendable. No loss if we end up never coming back.” His voice was emptier than usual, but he focused on what he had said earlier. He would make it there. After all, it was only unknown space. Exploring that had been Starfleet’s mission for the last 250 years, and it wasn’t going to change now.

“Anyway, you’ll have seen your ship on the shuttle ride up- sorry if the pilot didn’t let you take a good twenty minute fly-around, but he’ll have been busy.” The recorded-Admiral laughed at his own joke, while the Captain just rolled his eyes. “It’s been recently refitted, following an attack by some weird gaseous anomaly from the Tor’Ch-W 00D star system. Security and Engineering both say it’s clear, so don’t fret. It was the most suited ship we could find; well-armed enough to defend itself against any trouble, but multi-purpose enough that we can send it that way and not seem suspicious to anyone.”

“Starfleet Intelligence at its finest, right there.”

“Anyway, to finish this far too long briefing, you’ll be away from Starbase for 6 years, minimum. Try to help anyone that needs it along the way, but remember the Prime Directive. No unneeded interference. And, as much as you’d like not to, remember that you’re still Starfleet. Remember the first goals of Starfleet. And finally, Captain Harkness?” There was a dramatic pause there, obviously for effect, but it didn’t really work on him. “Good luck. Pirret Out.”

The video closed, but the Captain was still sat there, annoyed. “They couldn’t even get my name right for the briefing,” He moaned, burying his head in his hands. “I wasn’t even their first choice for the expendable one.” Realising what he had said, he looked up, pulling his head out of the face palm. “I should probably consider that a good thing, though. Wonder whatever happened to that Harkness guy?”

If he had had the powers of an omniscient being, he would have been able to find Captain Harkness, newly assigned to the USS Barrowman partying in a club in Amsterdam with the same Admiral Pirret, celebrating getting out of the suicide assignment. It wouldn’t have helped the new Captain’s mood much.

“Still,” he said to himself, getting to his feet. “You’ve got your own command, your own crew to look after, and when you get back here in six years time with a salvaged ship, you’ll have the respect of Starfleet instead of the disgrace you have now.” He made a daring smile, which was a bit pointless since no-one could see him, and strode out onto the bridge, which was now empty, Luna obviously having gone to take care of her own business. Striding over to the Ops console, he typed in a few commands, watching the viewport in front of him come to life, showing an image of Earth Spacedock, with the planet behind it, and the distant sun behind that. It was beautiful.

“They say it’s the final frontier, you know?” He heard from behind him, in Luna’s tones, which he already recognised, despite one conversation. “All those stars out there.”

“You’re quoting Kirk,” he replied, smiling. “I was wondering how long it would take before I heard someone quoting Kirk.”

\---

Space. The final frontier.  
These are the voyages of the Starship Qetesh  
It’s newly-given mission: To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no-one has gone before.  
I am Captain Alexander Magenta, and these are my voyages.  
End personal log.


	2. Day One, or how I learned to stop worrying and go ask out my ex-girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Qetesh sets off, and manages to be the first Starfleet ship in 5o years not to have a breakdown while within reach of Earth Spacedock. In which we have awkward flirting, an awkward re-union, and another angry Admiral whose name begins with a P. I should really stop it with the stereotypes.

The days passed in a blur, Magenta having to cover everything to the best of his abilities. Crew transfers, engineering faults, supply storage, organising his timetable. The list of things to do never seemed to shrink, and while Luna helped, she could only do so much – she had her own workload to manage. He wished he could have met all of his crew as they boarded, but it was impossible. He hadn’t even seen his bridge crew arrive yet. It hadn’t helped that only one of them had beamed aboard – Sonia Valdez, who was, he noted, sitting at the helmsman console already, with a Starfleet technician, trying to fix it. 

He would have stopped to help, but his ready room called; or, rather, Starfleet Command did. It seemed something else had cropped up, to distract from their mission for a day or two. He wasn’t complaining, since anything that meant there was more time before certain death was a plus in his book.

“Captain. I like the looks of those pips. They make you look dignified, for once in your life.” 

Alex would have taken death over this – hearing the snide tones of his old academy friend, Admiral Pietro. The two had never gotten on, with the older man seeing the younger as a lacklustre recruit; someone that should have been a colonist, instead of the one guiding them there. Granted, the difference was only a couple of years, but it didn’t seem to matter. And now he had rank to use against him, so Alex couldn’t just ignore him.

“You have something to tell me, Admiral?” he asked, his tone much blunter than he’d usually use. It only made the Admiral smile, however. It was the smile of a man who knew he was the one in charge, and the other could do nothing to escape. It lit up his wrinkled face with joy, his white moustache curling up with it.

“You’re due to leave in under three hours for Deep Space Nine, correct?” Both men knew this was true – this was one of the Admiral’s games to waste his time, and they both knew this too. Unfortunately, Alex didn’t know what was coming next, so he was forced to answer instead of hanging up and ending the game of “You know that I know that you know”. 

“Yes. Unless, of course, you’re here to reassign me to somewhere closer to you?”

The old man laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. You’ve still got your orders, whatever they may be. I simply need you to call in at Atrios IV. You ever heard of it?”

Alex knew he was meant to be vaguely aware of every planet in the local sector. Atrios did not ring any bells, however. Not even the tiniest little ringing occurred in his head. He was forced to shake his head, steeling himself for the next insult. 

“I’m not surprised, given how little you cared about astronomy in class. Always more interested in particles than planets.” Alex could have played a drinking game with the amount of times he’d heard that particular comment. Maybe he should – it would make meetings with the guy much more tolerable. He noticed the Admiral was continuing, so he tried to pay a little more attention. 

“It’s between here and DS9, just a few light years out of your way. A team left to set up a colony two months ago, and earlier today, we received the first transmission from their array. It was a distress call from the self-appointed mayor, Raphaelle Cezanne. Not much of it, only that they’re in danger from some strange creatures. That’s all we can make out, before it devolves into… well, we’re sending it over, so you can hear for yourself. We can’t spare any ships in the region, so you’re being tasked to check it out on the way over. Shouldn’t take you more than four days to reach at max warp. Good luck! Knowing you, you’ll need it!”

With his exposition over, the Admiral cut the call, leaving a sighing Captain to contemplate the info dump he’d just been given. It looked like they’d have no distraction from their trek into the unknown – just a small stop while they rescued some colonists. Still, that was all in a days work, he supposed. Getting to his feet, he left the room, taking his seat on the bridge. There were more people around now, as befitted a starship about to set sail into the void. And, as he was readying his PADD to check off yet another list of medical supplies he needed to approve, one of them came up to him, standing there until he glanced up.

“Yes, crewman?” He asked, trying not to let his eyes be drawn to the huge melons she was trying to smuggle under her uniform. He managed quite well, in his mind. Her face was far more inviting – it may not have been smiling, but she was stating her name and rank, which gave him something to focus on. Her messy, curly black hair, which she kept toying with as she talked, was a little distracting, but he was glad it was there. It gave him something else to focus on, after all.

“Lieutenant Aisha Sayed, sir. Your tactical officer, reporting for duty.” She folded her arms, waiting expectantly for a reply that took a few seconds to come. 

“I… I was told I wasn’t getting a tactical officer.” Magenta called up the document on his PADD, sure he hadn’t missed her out in the 50 times he had read over the manifest. And, there it was, clear as a new set of glasses. Or rather, wasn’t, like a pair of glasses when actually needed. He eyed her up, trying to guess which was more likely – intruder, or prankster. “Your name isn’t on the list, Lieutenant. Care to offer some proof?”

“Will this dispatch notice from Starfleet do it?” She asked, handing him a small holo-pad she had pulled from somewhere. He found it best not to question where those kind of things could be kept. “I asked for a transfer two days ago. It must not have come through yet.” 

The note looked genuine. Correct authorisation code, correct signature. Correct mind-numbingly boring switch-over small print. He guessed he didn’t have a choice. “Well, I guess I should welcome you aboard, Lieutenant. I’d say I’ll be glad to have you-”

“- but you think a tactical officer means you’ll be getting into too many fights?” Sayed looked at Magenta, sounding ready to defend herself and her job. “From what I’ve heard, we’ll be heading into unknown space. Without someone trained in tactics, you stand a lot higher chance of death at the hands of an enemy photon torpedo. At least, with me here, you’ll have someone to blame it on, just in case we happen to survive.” 

“Sir.”

Magenta couldn’t help but give her a slightly crooked smile. “Well, I was going to make a joke about being too busy to say hello. I guess that didn’t work out.” His attempt at humour didn’t seem to defuse Sayed’s attitude at all. “I’ll assign you quarters next to helmsman. That’s traditional, right?” 

“I believe so, sir.” Her voice sounded somewhat less confrontational, but maybe that was because there wasn’t much anger you could derive from a simple question. “This... this is my first bridge assignment.” The words came out almost mumbled, as if she was trying to hide it from the captain. 

“I think its her first posting as well. Perhaps you can help each other out?” Sayed looked at him, looking ready to say something about the implications of that, but Magenta cut her off first. “I mean supporting each other. I remember my first posting, not too long ago. Having someone you can rely on to be a friend, as well as a colleague… it goes a long way. Trust me on that.” He smiled at her, and she gave him a terse smile back. “If you want to introduce yourself, she’s at the helm, right now. No time like the present, after all.”

Aisha didn’t wait a second before turning around, taking her leave and walking over to Valdez and the technician. While she had been dealing with the captain, they had been struggling to figure out why her console, no matter the button pressed, was displaying “No tea available, would you like coffee instead?” Considering it wasn’t even connected to the replicators, it was almost impressive how big a failure it was. They had tried everything – turning it off and on again, switching out the parts, making sure it was plugged in right. It was a mystery. 

Aisha took one look at the thing, and decided she’d come back later. She had somewhere else to be which actually required her attention. Unfortunately for her plans, Valdez noticed her. And one thing Valdez was passionate about, other than not crashing the ship on the first Warp Speed jump, was making friends. 

“Hey! You know anything about the bridge console?” Aisha was already half-way turned around, but she felt trapped by the other woman’s question. Especially if, as the Captain said, she was the helmsman (Helmswoman? Navigator? Conn Officer? Starfleet wasn’t great with gender neutral terms at times), and thus neighbour and colleague. It wouldn’t be good to get off on the wrong foot this early.

On the other hand, she sounded talkative, upbeat, and (worst of all) annoying. Aisha felt that, if she got into this one conversation, it would result in her never being able to shake off the other woman. A small part of her whispered that she should want to make friends, but she quashed it. She wasn’t here to make friends, as the stereotype went. Still, it wouldn’t do to have a bridge crew so obviously disharmonious. Sighing internally, she turned back. “A little. It’s in my job, after all. Lieutenant Sayef. Tactical.”

Sonia broke out into a smile, offering her hand for a second, before pulling it back, turning it into a salute. “Nice to meet you, ma'am! Ensign Valdez, navigation. I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time with each other over the next few months.”

“If I can get this computer working,” came a muffled, Australian voice from beneath the console. “You mind pressing the screen again, Ensign?” 

Sonia tapped at it, and it let out a pleasant sounding ‘bleep’. It also sent a few sparks out onto the technician, but he seemed fairly relaxed about almost being electrocuted. “I think we’re good here!” he said cheerfully, pulling himself out from under and getting to his feet, grabbing his little toolkit. “I just had to code it to say we had no coffee either, and it worked fine!” 

“That’s brilliant!” Sonia replied, beaming, happy to see her console working again. “Thanks for the help!” She took her seat, bringing up the navigation settings, getting to what she had intended. “Yep, it’s all working fine! Sorry that it took so long to fix such a basic issue!”

The technician shook his head, trying to assure her it wasn’t, but Sonia seemed to quickly move on, distracted by setting up her personal screen. He simply shook his shoulders, and turned to Aisha. “I guess I’m sorry she dragged you into this just as we were finishing, ma’am. Your console in any trouble?” 

“I have no idea,” Aisha responded cooly, turning to look at it. A few taps in, and it seemed to be fine. No crashes, no major problems. It all worked out fine. “It seems as though you can attend to whatever other duties you have, Mr…?”

“Robinson. Matt Robinson. And, if I’m not needed here, I guess I should be off. Engineering always needs an extra set of hands, after all.” With that, he waked away, Aisha watching him leave. She swore she could hear him whistling a small ditty. She shook her head, trying to ignore it. The ship having technical difficulties wasn’t exactly unprecedented in Starfleet, but something felt off. More than usual.

“So, you just arrived today?” Sonia’s voice was, for the second time in almost as many minutes, caught by Aisha’s ear, and she turned to it, swinging her seat around. “Sorry, sorry. Let me try again. Did you just arrive today, Ma’am?” Sonia’s eager eyes looked for some form of acceptance, hoping she hadn’t made yet another rookie mistake in front of another senior officer. Just yesterday, after all, she had started chatting to Luna in the mess hall without asking her name, or her rank, or even if she wanted to speak. It had been, to say the least, slightly embarrassing. Whether more to her or the first officer, she couldn’t tell. 

“I did indeed.” Aisha’s response was measured, trying not to invite more questions. 

“Is this your first posting?” Clearly, it hadn’t worked. Still, this barely-past-cadet deserved an answer, she reckoned. 

“Not quite my first. I’ve just spent 2 months training at Eris Station, which was after my 18 months posting aboard USS Schwann as an ensign in the security division. Going off your question, however, I’m guessing you’re as inexperienced as you seem?”

Sonia wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “I… I guess? This is my first, so I guess I’m a little unsure how everything works. I figure that, as long as I’m pretty sure by DS9, the ship’s in good hands, right?”

“That gives you about seven days.”

“I know! But I think that’s enough time. I’m meant to be a quick learner, after all!” Sonia smiled at her confidently, and Aisha couldn’t help but offer her a small smile back. As much as working with a barely qualified ensign who on her first assignment bothered her, she wouldn’t let it show. As least, until she made a mistake. Till then, she had the benefit of the doubt. 

“Don’t you think its odd? Being given a bridge position, on your first post?” 

“Getting straight to the point, huh?” Sonia let out a little laugh, but then went uncharacteristically quiet. A few moments later, she spoke again, softly.“I guess someone up there wants good things out of me. They want me to prove myself, maybe? I don’t know. I’ve thought about it, but I keep pulling up blanks. But that doesn’t matter!” With that said, she instantly switched back to her usual self, sending another smile at Aisha. “I’ll show them I can do it!”

Aisha stared at her for a moment, in confusion. “Who’s them?”

Sonia shrugged. “The Captain, the XO, the Doc, the Engineer, you. Everyone who doesn’t seem to believe I’ve got it. And don’t ask me what it is, I don’t really know either.”

Aisha nodded curtly, turning back to her own station, finding a few messages waiting for her. “I guess I won’t, then. Shall we do some work, while we’re here?”

Sonia nodded emphatically, turning to her own console. She was glad it was no longer trying to offer her coffee or tea, and was letting her do what she needed to do. Glancing over at Aisha, she tried to imitate what she was doing. Her posture would have to be a little different, of course, since she didn’t have certain… assets, but she could take after the other officer. With that, she got to work. 

\---

Across the ship, a Trill was setting up her office, ready for starting her job aboard the Qetesh. Despite the ship’s small size, the room was what she was used to – small, out of the way, but still comfortable enough. The job of a therapist didn’t often get her respect, but she knew it was worthwhile. After all, there were a dozen times of space madnesses and mental plagues catalogued every year or so, and she knew someone had to be there to give a little help. She found it a little odd that a ship this size would need one, especially since she thought this class was a hold-over from the Dominion War. A warship never usually cared about the psychological health of its crew, after all. ‘Still’, she thought to herself, ‘there must be some good reason I’m here’. 

An electronic knock came from the door, and she waved her hand and mumbled something in the vague direction of it, as it slid open on cue. “So, it actually is you…” The voice sounded a little shocked, as if the speaker was doing a good job at hiding it, but not quite perfect. “What’s your rank now, Sara?”

Sara Denzha turned to face the speaker, pushing her blonde hair behind her ear, as she was used to doing in these situations. Even with her new pixie cut, the habit remained. “I’m counsellor. What else would I be?” She offered a smile, trying to gauge to other’s reaction. “How about you, Molla? You finally get out of the engineering department?” 

“I wish.” Lieutenant Jyran rolled her eyes, walking a little more forward into the room, the door swooshing shut behind her. “I’m Chief of Engineering now. It’s my fault, of course, for making too many bad decisions in my life, but what am I going to do?”

“You could start by sitting down?” The counsellor took a seat on her sofa, offering the Bajoran the place next to her. With a little nod, she took it, sitting stiffly, neither able to meet the other’s eyes for more than a second. 

Silence passed between them for a few seconds.

“Can-”

“I’m-”

The two stopped talking just as soon as they’d both started, each stifling a comment on the other. Molla started again first, easing into the conversation with trepidation.

“How long’s it been, since we were together? Like this, I mean. In person.”

Sara’s answer was quiet, somewhat distant. “We both know that. Does it need saying?”

“I guess not.” Molla shook her head slowly, wishing she had a drink she could stare into, instead of at her feet. Or worse, Sara. 

“I guess I should start by saying sorry.” Sara started to speak up, but Molla cut her off. 

“How can you be sorry when it was my fault? I got caught up with things, I let us drift apart. If anything, I should be apologising to you, idiot.”

“I mean for starting it all in the first place!” Sara took hold of Molla’s right hand, and the engineer did nothing to remove it from her grip. “If I hadn’t taken that post on the Horologium-”

“You would have taken up a post on some other ship. You were eager to prove yourself, eager to move up in the world. More than I ever was back then.” Molla lifted their hands up to eye level, offering a warm, growing smile. “And I guess you did. I think you’ve got a higher rank than I do. Lieutenant-Commander, right? Going by the pips, I mean.”

Sara broke into a brilliant smile, her eyes lighting up. “T-thanks! B-but you’re Chief Engineer! That’s wonderful for anyone!”

“Trust me, it isn’t here. Not from what I know. I was regretting everything about this posting, until about an hour ago.” Molla’s voice grew softer, her mask to the world faltering for a second. “But, then, I hear we have a counsellor coming aboard. Named Sara Denzha. A Trill, Rahman tells me. I wait till my shift’s over, come along here… And I find it’s you. The girl that I left behind years ago.”

“Once again,” Sara interrupted, “I left you behind. I was the one leaving.”

“It doesn’t matter...” Molla leaned in a little closer, her voice trailing off. “I guess I should ask, before I do something stupid. You have anyone special in your life, at the moment? Anyone that I might end up putting in sickbay when they come for my life?”

Sara was taken back a little by this, but it didn’t stop her replying. “Well, not really. Just someone that I can’t take my brain off, right now.” Molla started to move away, but she was held in place by Sara’s hands. Both knew that Molla was the stronger one here, but Sara wanted to be listened to. “She’s a dumbass redhead who doesn’t know when to stop being so defensive, and is about to get a massive hug.”

With that, Sara wrapper her arms around the other girl, and almost instantly, Molla’s arms were around her, both women breaking into smiles warmer than any they’d had in years. They stayed that way for at least a minute, before Molla pulled back. She was happy, but something still didn’t sit right with her. “Did you just call me a dumbass?”

“I mean, you kind of were. Did you expect me to be that awkward if I’d moved on?” Sara’s answer caught her off guard, and Molla didn’t have a reply. “I’m not sure exactly what my feelings are, Molla, don’t get me wrong. But… you’re still you. And I’m still me.”

“So what you’re saying is?” 

“What I’m saying is that, if you want to give it another shot, I’m all for it.” With that, Sara, looking deep into Molla’s eyes, gave her the smallest, quickest kiss she could manage. 

For the first time on the ship, Lieutenant Jyran Molla was caught speechless. “If you’re gonna kiss me,” she eventually stuttered out, her voice indignant, “you’re gonna do it right.” With that said, she grabbed Sara’s shoulders, pulling her into a deep embrace, their lips locked, their bodies closer than they had been in years. 

It was at this point the door decided to ring. 

Jyran pulled back, glaring at the door angrly, but pulling back, straightening her uniform out. Sara, acting a little more serenely, rolled her eyes, and told the person to come in. The door slid open a lot quicker than either would have liked, and V’Ness walked in, nodding in greeting at both of her fellow officers. 

“Good day, Lieutenant. Sorry if I am interrupting a session, but I would like to speak to the counsellor. I believe it is wise that we get to know each other early on, so that our relationship is off to a good start.” The word ‘relationship’ only made Jyran look a little more annoyed at the intrusion, and Sara had to stifle a giggle. Still, she smiled at the Doctor, holding out a hand, before realising that probably wasn’t what the Vulcan had in mind.

“Of course, Doctor. If you want, we could go down to the mess, talk about this over lunch? I haven’t eaten since before I got to Space Dock, and I’m pretty hungry...” Her stomach rumbled, almost in perfect timing. Jyran tried to walk out, not wanting to third wheel in such an awkward manner, but V’Ness wasn’t finished making her feel awkward. Of course, it wasn’t on purpose, but the Doctor had a way with words.

“Should I let you and Lieutenant Jyran finish your session first?”

“Believe me, the mood’s gone.” With a grumble, Molla was out of the room, and Sara couldn’t help but roll her eyes once more, sighing with bemusement. V’Ness looked blankly at the leaving engineer, before turning back to the counsellor.

“I am sorry if this is my fault-”

“No, no, don’t worry.” Sara cut her off with a wave of her hands, getting to her feet, and heading for the door, V’Ness following. “It wasn’t anything that can’t be done later. Trust me.”

\---

Eventually, the USS Qetesh was ready to leave for its first mission – finding out what killed some random planet. The ship gently flew out into the solar system, with nothing exploding the whole way out. For a Starfleet ship, that was almost a miracle. Once they reached the edge of Earth’s space, Captain Magenta gave his order. It was an order every officer hoped to make, at some point in their life. 

“Valdez… take us to Warp 5.”

With a hum, and a streak of light, the ship was gone. 

Onboard, everyone had been a little scared the ship might tear itself apart once it hit light speed, but it seemed to be holding up well. No-one had been sucked into space, no-one had mutated into a lizard, and there weren’t two copies of the ship hanging around. All in all, it was a successful start to their journey.

“Ensign, how long until we get to Atrios?” Magenta asked, tentatively relaxing back in his chair for just a second or two. Enough to make him feel just a little at ease. He got the feeling those moments might just become a lot rarer. 

“About two days, sir. 2 days, 4.1 hours to be a little more precise.” He nodded at Sonia’s answer, and started giving out more mundane orders – crew schedules, rosters, bathroom locations, the generic first-flight advice. It seemed they were already settling into routine.

Hours passed, though, and eventually, he decided to retire into his ready room. As soon as he could tell the door was shut, and no-one could see him, he let our a deep, long sigh, head slamming onto the desk. 

He was not ready for this.

He had thought being captain was what he’d always dreamed to be, what he was almost meant to be. But he wasn’t. All day, he’d been felling like someone would second-guess his orders, would have a better strategy, would put him in his place. He almost expected Starfleet to radio and tell him they’d made a mistake – that he was actually due to report at a remote outpost, where he’d live the rest of his life. 

But most of all, he felt bad for his crew. They deserved someone who wasn’t so afraid of screwing up, of accidentally leading them into a black hole or getting them killed by rogue Cardassian forces. He may as well retire now, he thought. Luna would easily do a better job than him.

A beep at the door broke him out of his stupor, and he waved at it to open. In walked Luna herself, looking over at him. “Everything alright, Captain? I’m just here to give a progress report.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.” He nodded, lying, as Luna sat opposite him. She told him how Engineering were already wanting to ‘fine-tune’ the engine, how one of their ensigns was pregnant, due in 8 months, and how there was already a betting pool for first navigation failure amongst the senior staff. He listened, but not very attentively. He found it hard to focus on her words. He was too distracted by his own thoughts.

It was only when she fell silent for a good few seconds that his brain drifted back to her. She was now looking at him with concern, her antenna poised as if trying to sense his pain. “You seem rather stressed, Alex. May I call you Alex?”

He nodded – he had never been one for too many formalities, and if they were going to be stuck together for years, with no chance of back-up, they may as well use each other’s names – and she continued. 

“You seem stressed. Let me guess – first time jitters?” She smiled at him with the corner of her mouth, and he smiled back, giving her yet another small nod. “That’s to be expected. I’d be more worried if you were going into this with an optimistic attitude.”

They both laughed a little, and Luna took his hand, wrapping both of hers around it. “Remember, I’m your XO. I’m here to support you if you’re worried, or stressed. Please don’t give me any toxic ‘My burdens are too heavy to share’ rubbish, because I will hit you. Hard.” She squeezed roughly, and Alex almost felt his hand shatter into a million pieces.

“Seems like you mean it,” he muttered, and she grinned, letting go. “But… thanks. I guess I’m just a lot more worried about this than I thought I would be. My old captain, she made it seem so easy. And I just can’t stop stressing about how I’ll never live up to her.”

Luna nodded, and put her hand on his shoulder. “How about I teach you how I relax, and take my mind off things?”

Alex raised an eyebrow, not really prepared yet to go for dual massages in the holodeck with his XO. That was, at least, the number one technique on his previous ship. With settings of 1 for ‘gentle shoulder relaxation” to 6 for “happy ending with all the trimmings”. Still, maybe she had some novel idea. “What do you have in mind?”

She grinned, getting to her feet, and walking over to him. “How about I show you instead?” He raised an eyebrow in trepidation, but pulled his chair back until she wagged her finger, indicating for him to stay there. “Nope. Close your eyes, Captain.”

Being closed didn’t stop his eyes from tracing circles on the inside of his eyelids, but he did wonder what was coming. Until he felt something press against his lips. His eyes opened in surprise to see the blue expanse of Luna’s face, her breath gently blowing against his cheeks. He didn’t push her away – the kiss was soft, and calming. He could feel his heart slowing down a little, his worries seeming to fade slightly. They were still there, of course, but they seemed less urgent – like Luna was helping him carry the load. 

After what was only a few seconds, she pulled back, gently brushing her white hair our of her eyes. “Sorry if I took you by surprise, but I thought you might appreciate it. Tiny bit of psychic aptitude – not enough for anything major, but a little empathic hug.” She gave him a gentle smile, and he couldn’t do anything but smile back, brushing his own hair away. Either he’d picked up some of her habits, or he couldn’t think of anything else to do. 

“… Thanks, Luna.” He leaned forwards, giving her a little kiss on her cheek. “But did it have to be a kiss?” he asked, shooting her a suspicious look.

She took her turn to roll her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. “Physical contact makes things so much easier, and the lips are intimate enough for most things...” She left the sentence hanging, and the door took this time to ring. Both of their heads snapped to it, and Alex cleared his throat. 

“How about you finish that sentence later?” he asked, and she nodded, still grinning. With a roll of his eyes, he let the ensign in, and the day continued.


	3. Audioerotic execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Qetesh comes across its first actual adventure that isn't "the crew chatting" - much to everyone' surprise - when they find an abandoned colony, with one survivor. But there might be more to her than it seems. Will the crew solve the mystery? Will any redshirts die? Will there be smut in this smutfic? Read and find out!  
> NB - This chapter does contain actual f/nb and m/f sex. Viewer discretion is adivised if that's not why you came here.

Captain’s Log. Stardate 57494.2. We’ve arrived at Atrios IV, under orders to investigate a distress signal from the science colony. Given how little we know about the situation, I’ve deferred to my security officer’s recommendations, and am sending down a small landing party first to assess the danger, Let’s hope it was nothing but a misunderstanding on their part.

\---

A small wind whistled across the surface of the northern continent of Atrios IV as the molecules of Aisha Sayed and Jared Javez came together in the air. They had materialised outside what, from orbit, looked like a broadcasting station typical to this type of colony. From the ground, it definitely matched that description, with one major exception – it was abandoned. Most of these tended to have people going in and out, have lights flashing from some antennae, or even some quiet hum. This had nothing. It was enough to make Javez shudder, even in the warm, somewhat arid air around him. This colony was built at the edge of a desert, and it felt like it. 

Aisha noticed her subordinate's gesture, and cast an eye over the quiet building. Not that that was a very good description – all the buildings surrounding it were silent too. Without saying anything, the two got into position – Jared on guard for whatever attacked the science team, and Aisha getting to work opening the door. Luckily, her overrides worked fine, and it slid open. The interior was dimly lit, the lights still functioning somewhat, and it looked calm enough for them to head in. 

A quick search of the main room revealed nothing. Nothing, at least, that they hadn’t expected. A few half set-up measuring devices, a to-do list, and a half-eaten sandwich. It certainly seemed like the place had been left behind in a hurry. Aisha was poking at the radio controls, quietly beeping as it pumped out the distress signal. It seemed like they’d had no other contact.

“Ma’am?” Jared called out to her, drawing his phaser, and pointing it towards a door that headed further into the camp. It was only then she heard the quiet footsteps from behind it, and she drew her own weapon – set to stun, for now. The two moved forwards in formation, planning their sneaky, yet cool entrance. 

The door swinging open put a little problem in the plan, as did a woman dashing at Jared, swinging a massive wrench at his head. 

She was stunned twice before the door had swung all the way open.

Aisha sighed, kneeling down and checking the woman for ID. She had hoped to avoid shooting someone in her first away mission. Well, partially hoped. 50/50 shoot not shoot really. Jared, meanwhile, was already radio-ing the Qetesh. Probably preparing a beam-up. In the meantime, she’d found the woman’s identity card – or rather, the mayor’s identity card. “Miss Cezanne?” She asked, shaking her shoulder roughly. No response. 

With a sigh, she got to her feet, pulling out her tricorder. If she couldn’t get any answers in person, she’d find some. 

“Javez, take her to sickbay. I’m not sure how she’s out so cold from a little stun beam, but if she could be in a bad way, especially if they’ve been attacked.”

“They? Do we actually know if there’s anyone else here?” Jared looked at her, expectant for an answer. 

Aisha merely shrugged. “That’s what I’ll find out.”

“And you expect the Captain to let you look around without back-up?” Aisha could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

“Maybe, if I promise really hard not to die, he won’t mind?”

Jared shook his head, but couldn’t disagree with her. After all, he could guess his officer didn’t care for their captain very much, as could anyone with half a brain cell to spare. Still, he had to listen to what she said. Kneeling down next to the body, he tapped his badge. With a quick message of “Two to beam to sickbay,”, his molecules were on their way back to the ship, as well as their guest’s. 

This left Aisha alone. For a second, she stood still, hearing her own breath in the still air. In contrast to the outside, it was a lot cooler inside – at least that meant the air conditioning was working, she thought. Better than having to work in 40 degree heat. Brushing a curl of hair from her eyes with the back of her hand, she pushed open the door, pointing her phaser round the corner.

“This is Lieutenant Sayed, of the USS Qetesh. Anyone here?” Her voice echoed in the back room, bouncing off the many, many, many boxes full of unused equipment. After a minute of two without a reply, violent or not, she stepped past the door. She could see a replicator in the back, and a makeshift bed in the corner. This was obviously where the mayor had been since the distress call was sent. That was one person accounted for. But where were the other 10 people that should have been with her?

 

Back on the ship, V’Ness was examining Mayor Cezanne carefully. Javez hovered near the entrance, keeping an eye on the woman. He was technically supposed to report to the captain, but that was after finishing his escort. And he hadn’t technically finished… yet. And, since the doctor was ignoring him, he wasn’t getting in the way, so he felt fine staying there.

“How interesting...” V’Ness muttered to herself, comparing something on a PADD to the readout of Cezanne’s biosigns. Javez raised a hand to ask, but V’Ness decided to exposit anyway. “You say she was hit with two stuns?” Jared nodded, and she continued. “Well, she’s reading as perfectly healthy, for a human. Just… not awake. It’s certainly strange. And she doesn’t seem to be suffering any signs of recent stress – no adrenaline, no signs of exhaustion. If I had to guess, I’d say this woman has had a perfectly relaxing couple of days.”

“Considering the rest of her colony has disappeared, I’m gonna call fake on that.” V’Ness turned to Jared, raising an eyebrow. “Indeed. I think I need to inform the captain about her status. Could you stay with her, in case she wakes up?”

“Of course.” V’Ness nodded, and left him alone in the room. Almost immediately as the door shut, Raphaelle’s eyes opened, and she sat up suddenly, glancing around the strange room. Jared went to shout for V’Ness, but something distracted his attention at the critical point – Raphaelle’s gaze had fixed on his, and he couldn’t turn away. There was something there, something calling to him.

“Where am I?” she asked, voice uncertain and wavering. She slid out of the biobed slowly to her bare feet, not moving her gaze as she walked towards Jared. For his part, he knew he should be moving, doing something, but his brain couldn’t focus on what that something was. “Is this your home?” 

“… No.” His voice finally found its way out of his throat, almost as wavering as the mayor’s. “This is a starship. USS Qetesh. We’re here to reply to your distress signal, ma’am.”

“Distress signal?” Raphaelle paused for a second, but then gave him a little smile. Had Jared not been caught in her stare, he might have noticed something a little off about it. Like how it seemed to be a lot more threatening than the usual smile of a person rescued from certain death. Like someone that had just lured you into the perfect trap. “So that means more of you? To save me?”

“Yes?” Jared wasn’t sure what he was answering, but he was aware that the mayor was oddly close and mobile for someone who had been unconscious a few seconds ago. Very highly aware of it. Almost focusing all of his attention on just how good it was to be with her. How nice it was to listen to her voice, soft and charming and melodious And just how good it was to stare into her brown, glittering eyes, as she leant in, closer still, whispering something he didn’t care about understanding, not any more.

Just how good it was to overlook her locking the door.

\---

Aisha grunted in pain, the computer finally booting back up after a swift punch to the wall. Seemed as though there had been a cable loose. She shook her fist loose, watching as the little screen on the wall flickered to life. It was a little grimy, but she wiped it clean with her uniform. There weren’t a lot of options. At a guess, it had never been fully installed. She tapped one of the few that was available; being a picture of an old fashioned video camera, she wasn’t too surprised when a video feed of the room came up. Nor was she surprised to see the Mayor pictured in it, holding a phaser at the door. 

“Go away!” 

The sound coming on made her jump a little, but what came next caught her attention. It was a small giggle, coming through the speakers. “Come on, I just want to see you! Why shut the door on me like this?”

Aisha found herself agreeing – it didn’t make much sense, to her anyway, that the mayor had barricaded herself against such an innocent sounding person. 

“You’re not you, Kyra! You’ve… you’ve been replaced!” The mayor’s voice was rough, broken. She sounded like she’d been crying. “Just… just stop...” The sound of weakness in her voice was unmistakeable. Aisha would have classed her as ‘exhausted’. 

“How can I not be me?” The other voice sounded honestly confused, even muffled by the door. “Who else would I be? Just let me in, I need to make sure you’re okay!”

“No… no…” The mayor held her hands over her ears, but they quickly fell back to her sides, phaser dropping with a clatter. “You’re messing with my head, Kyra. Just… just stop talking!” Her voice, even as it shouted, sounded hollow. And the other person pushed their advantage, and Aisha felt he surroundings fading away. She needed to know what happned next!

“I can’t stop! If I stop, I’ll be stuck out here, and you’ll be all alone! Do you want to be alone, Raphaelle, or do you want me to be there, with you? I can make you feel so good, believe me. Just like I made everyone else feel good…”

With a low moan, Aisha shook her head slowly. This was getting weird, and she could feel her focus slipping. Something was up with her. There was only one solution.

Slap!

She swore loudly to herself, her cheek stinging, but her awareness rushing back. She was just in time to see the mayor wander to the door, pressing the switch and collapsing into the arms of their waiting partner, who pushed them up against a wall. Her eyes looked empty, even as their partner (Kyra, she thought) forced a kiss upon her. Their hands immediately pulled down Raphaelle’s trousers, and had Aisha had more shame, she might have looked away. But the words were both drawing her attention, and not in a good way.

“You’re going to taste so delicious...” Kyra said, in between wet smacks of lips upon lips. Their fingers, meanwhile, were working the mayor’s other lips, starting to draw the occasional gasp of twisted pleasure, but Kyra kept on going. “Just like me. I tasted so good! Maybe even better than everyone else on your little ship… What do you think?”

“… stop … You’re not them...” Her words were quiet, but Aisha could still hear the orgasm hanging in them. It had been quick, almost unnaturally so, but she was close. She scrunched her eyes, trying to ignore it, but Kyra kept on going, giving her an evil-sounding laugh. 

“I guess you’re kinda right. I’m not. But you couldn’t resist listening to me, could you? I’m just so irresistible!” And with that, Raphaelle gasped, her legs giving way. Somehow laughing over the woman’s orgasmic moan, Kyra locked their lips into one last kiss, as they began their feast.

Aisha watched the screen in horror as Kyra seemed to phase into Raphaelle. It was somewhat lessened by the fuzzyness of the screen, but nothing was hiding how their body turned intangible, and flowed into Raphaelle’s mouth. She seemed held there, still forced against the wall, her unlucky face frozen in passion, even as the hands holding her there left to go to her innards. The process must have lasted only ten seconds or so, but the starfleet officer still felt ill.

But the horror show wasn’t done there. The mayor seemed to blink three times, before her body relaxed, back to an almost delighted stance. She rubbed at her stomach, and at her crotch, licking her juices of her own fingers. “We’re such fun creatures! So easy to make cum!” The mayor exclaimed, and Aisha couldn’t help but notice her voice, while unmistakeably Raphaelle’s, sounds far too much like Kyra’s. The two, it seemed, had fused. 

The video cut out one second later.

Aisha figured out where the rest of the colony was two seconds later.

At three seconds in, her hand had gone to her combadge.

\---

It took about 37 seconds for V’Ness to return to the door with a new PADD, and realise it was locked. At 38, she heard a distinct moan, one she was all too familiar with from college. Her roommates had seemed to prefer to do it at three in the morning. 

She attempted to force it open, but to no avail. It looked like it was time for extreme measures, thought the Vulcan. 

“Emergency override – Psy 913-A.” She knew this would send an alarm to the bridge, but her patient was in no way ready to be performing intercourse, and with a door jam, this was an emergency – her health was at risk. She stepped in, ready to tell the security officer to head back to his quarters for punishment. It was a shame, really. He had seemed to be, at the least, not bad at his job in the five seconds she had known him. 

She was caught by surprise, therefore, when she found Jared pinned down to the bed, his pants strewn across the floor, being ridden by the mayor, her own pants somewhere with his. Her mounds sounded ecstatic, while his sounded less so – without the door blocking them, her hearing could tell they were slurred. 

Hearing the door slide open, the mayor turned her head to look at V’Ness, grinning wildly. She fixed her stare on V’Ness eye’s, and the Doctor felt some kind of pressure, starting to gnaw at her pleasure zones. “Hi there Doc! I’m just having some fun with this brave rescuer! He’s got so much more energy than I imagined!” 

She tried to reach out a hand to steady herself against a wall, feeling her body start to heat up and falter, but it was grabbed by Raphaelle. Their gazes once more locked, and the words started again. “You just need to listen to me, okay doc? I just want you to start playing with yourself, so you’re an easier meal for me when I’m done here, okay? You feel like you’ll be tough, but I like a-”

She never finished that sentence, as V’Ness caught her in the temple with a roundhouse kick. She slumped onto Jared, but V’Ness got to work, the spell on her clearing now the woman was unconscious. She pulled her away from the dazed security officer, watching as his eyes cleared and he started to awaken. 

“Unnggg...” he muttered, his hand going to his crotch, realising he was naked in front of the Doctor. V’Ness didn’t notice, having been satisfied he was coming round, instead of coming full stop. She was examining Raphaelle, wandering how she could have gone from unconscious to that active so quickly. Her thinking was interrupted when the woman’s eyes opened. V’Ness pulled back, brandishing her tricorder like a weapon. 

“You don’t want to hurt me, do you Doc?” She asked, trying to look innocent. This time, however, she wasn’t so easily lulled by the creature’s tricks.  
“If I didn’t want to hurt you, I wouldn’t have knocked you out, would I?” 

Raphaelle smiled, as if amused by her cold, logical statement. “Being knocked out? I thought I was just hibernating again! But, if that’s what you want to do to me, that’s fine, I’m game...” She tried to make V’Ness’s gaze, but the vulcan kept her eyes fixed on her tricorder. “Don’t you think I’m hotter than some machine, doc? Or would you rather I look like him?” She pointed towards Jared, who was shaking his head rapidly, trying to regain his full senses. “Just let me feed, and I’ll give you what you want.”

“No offense meant to Ensign Javez, but he is not who I want. And neither are you. What you could tell me, instead of trying to seduce me, is what you are.” V’Ness didn’t sound amused by any of her attempts – it only seemed to make her demeanour more stoic.

“Me? I’m Mayor Raphaelle! You just saved my life, and I’m trying to reward you!”

“That’s not quite what this is saying. This says you’re only mostly human, with some DNA sequences in there I don’t recognise. Try harder with your lie next time.”

The mayor sighed, starting to inch back around to the bed. “At least let me reward this one. He was so eager-”

“Do what the Doctor says.” Jared’s voice was slightly shaky, but he had grabbed his phaser from the floor, and was walking around the wall, keeping his distance. “Or I will stun you, again.”

She raised an eyebrow, going into another giggle. “Really? If you do, that means you won’t get any more of my-”

The beam hit her square in the chest, and she flopped backwards onto the floor. Before the second was out, Jared and V’Ness had dashed to the door, the doctor sealing it behind her. They two of them glanced at eachother, each wandering what the hell they had just been part of. 

It was at this point the security team came through the door, lead by Luna, brandishing her phaser at both of them.

Jared still had no pants. 

\--- 

“So,” Alex said to his grouped senior staff, already sounding like he didn’t really believe any of what he’d seen. “Our lone survivor of this cursed outpost is actually an alien that feeds of orgasms?”

He was impressed that Molla was the only one that burst into a small laugh. He sighed, tapping through the video footage Aisha had salvaged. Going through the databanks, they could watch the colony disappear, person by person, until they got to Kyra and Raphaelle’s merging.

“From what we can tell,” Luna started, pointing at a photo of a young-ish looking woman on the holographic display, “she was the first to be infected, so to speak. She then spreads it to him, who spreads it to him, who spreads it to her, and so on...”

“But how?” Sonia spoke up, raising a hand as if she were still in school. “It must have gotten into her, somehow...” Her voice went a little quiet, but Luna nodded, calling something else up on the display. She was taking the whole deal with the seriousness it deserved.

“We believe it was through this vibrator, found by Aisha in her room. V’Ness analysed it, and it displays strange DNA traces on it. Luckily, it seems to be harmless – whatever consciousness was on it has gone.”

Molla broke into another round of laughter, but Luna kept going. “It seems to spread from person to person at the point of orgasm, using some kind of hypnotic skill to lure them into its clutches. Lieutenant Sayed reported being entranced by their voice through just the speakers, and our security officer… well, I’ve seen first hand what it can do to you in person.”

“As interesting as all this is,” Alex spoke up, catching her attention, “there’s one thing I need to know. We have a woman locked up in sickbay. How much of her is this creature, and how much is the Mayor?”

Luna paused, unsure how to respond. “I don’t know. The doctor’s report indicated that the creature, at the least, has assumed the Mayor’s identity. But, according to Lieutenant Sayed, it knows it isn’t the Mayor. We can probably guess it steals some knowledge from the body it snatches – it speaks french, if that’s enough proof.”

“Do you think we could separate them out, somehow? Maybe do that with all the stolen bodies?” Alex didn’t sound very hopeful, and Luna’s head shake only made him regret asking it all the more. 

“The DNA scan we have matches a blend of the mayor’s, plus that from the vibrator. No sign of any other. It probably burns that as some kind of food source upon transference, maybe using orgasm as the trigger.” Luna shrugged her shoulders, considering something. “Sir, it’s unlikely there’s more than one colonist left alive. And, for all we know, she’s dead too.”

“There is someone we can ask.” The crew looked at Alex as if he had suggested throwing himself out the airlock. Maybe even more surprised – at least one bet was going with 50/1 odds on that very possibility.

“And how are you going to do that without getting hypnotised, exactly?” Luna looked at him accusingly, but he gave her a little smile.

“I’ve got a plan. Not a great plan, but a plan.”

\--- 

The Mayor was locked in her cell, slowly devolving into a case of the shivers. She had been fully ready to eat, to absorb that creatures energy, and then she had been stopped! That had always been the most dangerous time for a creature like her, but no-one had ever managed it. She was too charming! Too cunning! Too fucking horny right now to care about that. She just wanted to feed, to find a new personality, since this one was burning away.

Had she been in a more logical state of mind, she might have admitted that. But, right now, she really wasn’t. And she only became a little more desperate when she heard the intercom start up. She almost dashed to it, ready to charm whoever was on the other end of the line, when a song came through, distracting her massively.

“We were at the beach (Ooh!)~ Everyone had matching towels~!”

V’Ness and Luna looked at Alex with dismay, neither recognising the music he had put on. They only knew it was bad.

“I took a couple of music classes, back at the academy. Had a thing for classic rock. This was… well, this was something I caught in the archives. The B53s, I think.” Alex tried to explain, but V’Ness cut him off. 

“It’s awful. And your plan is for this to counteract her voice?”

He nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s as good a plan as any to guarantee we can communicate. We don’t know if she can write, and isolating whatever vocal tracks are in there could take hours. But, this way, if you see me zoning out, just turn it up!”

Luna sighed, but put her hand on the volume control anyway. It was good there were no other patients in there, otherwise it might make their conditions worse.

With that done, he turned to the comlink they had, hearing Raphaelle’s voice coming through. But it sounded distorted, broken. Like the mayor had a very, very bad throat. “Please, sweetie, just come in here. I need to talk to you in person!”

He shook his head, even though she couldn’t see. “I’m sorry, but I feel a little safer out here. Are you enjoying the music?” She groaned, and he continued, patiently. “I need you to tell me what you are. We’ve seen security footage. We know you’re not actually the mayor. You’re not any of the colonists. It would be nice to know you, I suppose.”

“I’m… I’m not sure anymore...” she said in response, her voice confused, but quickly turning to accusatory. “You stole it from me! I would have been him, but you took him! Give him back!”

“Sorry, but Ensign Javez is safe in his quarters, with strict orders not to let himself cum. Just in case. What were you planning on doing to him?”

“I was going to feed! But I let myself get caught, and now I’m… I’m… argh!” She shrieked suddenly, and the trio heard a crash against the door. She didn’t succeed in breaking it, though, and they heard her fall back to the floor with an oof.  
“Captain,” V’Ness said, speaking up, holding her tricorder. “I’ve been taking readings of her, while you’ve been speaking. If they’re to be believed, I’d say her cellular matrix was degrading. She’s falling apart, both physically and mentally.”

The moan through the comlink cut her off, and the voice following it sounded like that of someone that was falling apart. “I need him… I need his form… Let me have him!”

Yet another crash, yet another oof. The room was silent for a few seconds, until Alex spoke, his voice a little more solid, and stern. “I’m sorry, but we can’t let you kill Ensign Javez. We can maybe find some other method of keeping you stable, but I won’t condemn anyone on my crew to death.”

The mayor was silent for a few seconds, before her voice came back. It sounded normal, and she gave a flirty little giggle. “But you’ll come in here, won’t you captain? Make me feel so much better, so happy? That’s your job, isn’t it? To rescue me?”

The Captain tried to clear his throat, finding it dry all of a sudden. Why didn’t he just go in there, console her? She sounded so upset? He took a step forwards, ready to pull her into an embrace, to kiss her, to console her, to give himself up to her!

This was when the music was cranked up, and he heard something about a giant killer whale, followed by a massive shriek. This cleared his head a little of whatever spell she had cast, and he slapped himself to bring the rest of his stupid brain back to reality. He smiled a little at Luna, who turned it back down, glancing at the speaker in disgust. 

With a little shake of his head, he got back to the negotiations. Or, at least, that’s what he wanted to call them. “Sorry, but like I said, I prefer it out here. Why do you need someone so bad, anyway?”

“… Hungry… Horny… Falling apart...” It seemed that one last attempt at flirting had failed, and her voice now sounded grating, like her vocal cords were giving up and becoming something else. V’Ness’s tricorder beeped, and Alex and Luna looked at her, wondering why it would choose now, of all times, to do that.

“She seems to be entering the final stages of degredation. Whatever kept her in that form, it’s gone. Presumably released when we stopped her assimilating Javez.” V’Ness looked up at them, but they didn’t say anything. “She’s effectively dying.” Her comment was almost exasperated, as if she expected them to have figured it out for themselves, despite not having her immense medical training.

Alex looked between her and the door holding Raphaelle in, his face settling in a grimace. “Is there anything we can do for her that doesn’t involve her burning through the crew?” 

V’Ness thought for a moment. She was being asked to come up with a cure for a life-form she’d been studying for less than a day, with biology obviously morphant of some form, and all she knew was the effect of a phaser upon it. This ranked somewhere in the middle of challenging questions she’d ever been asked in her life.

“Maybe. But it would require opening the door.”

Alex looked at Luna, and she nodded back towards him. This was his decision. Let this creature die, but ensure the crew’s safety, or try to help it, and damn the consequences. 

It was an easy decision.

The door slid open almost effortlessly, and it revealed the mayor curled up on the floor. Or, rather, what had been the mayor. Right now, she looked a little worse for wear. Her skin looked translucent, and she was letting out pitiful whines. However, the noise drew her head to stare at them, and the face was the worst part. Her skin seemed to be melting into the flesh beneath it, like badly moulded clay, her eyes bulging and her mouth all but a thin line, lips already gone. 

With a screech of hunger, she leapt at the captain, tackling him to the floor, pushing her mouth onto his, intent on kissing him, stripping him, forcing his cock deep inside her, until they were one, and she was-

Luna’s phaser hit her hard in the side, and her head snapped to her, leaping at her next. She pinned the tall Andorian against the wall, now focused on clawing at her uniform, getting at whatever was between her blue thighs, and taking her as her own!

Alex shot her in the back, his own phaser in his hand, distracting her attention slightly, before she went back to forcing a kiss on Luna. Her head was spinning, feeling pulses of lust going through her, wanting to let this semi-human just have her. Yes! It would be so easy! They could be together, and it would feel so… so good!

V’Ness stepped in, using her strength to pull the ex-mayor off Luna, pushing her to the desk, and holding her down. “Use a higher setting, Captain!” She said, as the Raphaelle creature changed tack, pulling V’Ness in towards her as opposed to pushing her away, pulling her close, giving Alex and Luna much less of a shot.

The Doctor felt something trying to push emotions into her sense of self. Overwhelm her with desire for this creature. Make her into a willing puppet in her own death. V’Ness was not having it. She fought, focusing on the one constant in the background there was.

The B52s ‘Rock Lobster’.

It took the mayor-creature a couple of seconds to figure out V’Ness wasn’t quite as passionate as any of her other lovers, and when she weakened, unsure what she was doing wrong, she took advantage. V’Ness wripped herself free, the creature’s hands coming with her, still holding onto her upper arms. Both V’Ness and Raphaelle looked down in surprise, before Alex and Luna took their shots, finally knocking it unconscious.

The trio looked down in disgust at the hands grabbing their Doctor, then at the stumps that used to be attached to said hands. Rather than blood and flesh, the interior seemed to have turned into some kind of white goop, which quickly started dripping from the ex-mayor’s ex-hands. Within ten seconds, they had completely gooified, landing with a sickening squelch on sickbay’s floor. 

The three of them gathered around the prone body of the creature, but there was little they could do but watch as it became even more translucent and pale, Her mouth opened, let out one last gurgle, as it too melted into goop. As they watched, where there had once been a person, there was a vaguely human-shaped pile of inert goop.

“That… that killed an entire colony?” Luna asked incredulously, her eyebrow raised.

“It must have come into contact with one of the colonists. Probably came into contact with them, got somewhere… intimate… and incorporated that into its morphology.” Despite her voice sounding the same as usual, even Alex could detect a note of illness in it. “From there, it moved from colony member to colony member. And it almost got onboard our ship.”

“That doesn’t explain the whole voice-hypnosis thing, though.” Alex leaned down, poking the lump with a medical rod, half expecting it to move. It didn’t, falling down a little where it was disturbed. 

“Probably a survival mechanic. The creature might have used it to lure organisms near it to eat. When it jumped to human, it manifested like that.”

The trio moved back, V’Ness pulling out her tricorder. It was definitely dead. The three looked at each other, not really sure what to do. 

They started by switching off Rock Lobster.

\--- 

“That’s how it went, Admiral.”

Admiral Pietro stared at him from the other end of the video link, looking unamused. The scans of the Atriosian life form had been sent across, so he couldn’t accuse them of making it up. That didn’t stop him from somehow thinking Captain Magenta was playing a big practical joke on him.

“So you’re telling me this… this blob of living cum-”

“Our doctor tells up it was more like a blob of living stem cells, actually. Well, dead stem cells, by the time we got to it.”

He grunted, not happy to be interrupted. “This blob killed the colonist, tried to engage in intercourse with a crewman, and was killed by classical music?”

“Umm, the classical music was a side effect, sir.”

“Just get to DS9, Captain.” With that, the voice link was gone, and Alex could relax. He leaned back in his chair, watching out the window as the universe went by. He let out a sigh, taking a moment for himself, and then turned back. There was something he needed to do.

“Captains Log. We have discovered the remains of the colony on Atrios IV, and reported the deaths of all colonists to Federation sources. May they rest in peace, wherever they have found themselves. Now, our real mission starts. To Deep Space Nine, and then, into the unknown.”

“Magenta out.”


End file.
